Arrest made in Alix robbery case

Mathew Joseph Duda, 30, from Red Deer was arrested by Innisfail RCMP on May 10 following a complaint in Penhold regarding a suspicious person. He was then charged in relation to the Alix robbery and a crime in Stettler, based on an outstanding arrest warrant out of Bashaw.

Duda has been charged with robbery, assault with a weapon and possession of property obtained by crime in the Alix incident. He also faces charges of theft of a motor vehicle, break and enter, theft of a firearm and two counts of mischief in the residential break and enter near Stettler.

Back on Nov. 26, 2017, Bashaw RCMP responded to an armed robbery, but weren’t able to apprehend a suspect who later dumped the get-away vehicle in Stettler. The next day, Stettler RCMP were called to a pair of scenes where vehicles had attempted to be stolen. However, in the first case the stolen vehicle was recovered very quickly a short distance away, while the second attempt to steal a vehicle was unsuccessful though severe damaged was caused in the process.

Two days later, a complaint of a break and enter was made to Stettler RCMP about a theft from a home that had only just been discovered.

Both detachments, along with the forensic identification unit, were able to link the three crime scenes to one suspect

“This is a great example of the teamwork between the detachments and the specialized units such as the Forensic Identification Section” said Bashaw RCMP Sgt. Bruce Holliday.

“We consistently share information and intelligence between various detachments because we’re very alert to the fact that criminals travel, and investigations can be connected. Travelling to a different jurisdiction doesn’t mean a criminal won’t be found.”